Hanoi Over view

[Nguyen Ngoc diep]

Area: 3,324.92 sq. km
Population: 6,448.900 thousand habitants (April 2009).
Administrative divisions:

-10 urban districts: Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung, Tay Ho, Thanh Xuan, Cau Giay, Long Bien, Hoang Mai, Ha Dong

- 1 town: Son Tay

- 18 rural districts: Dong Anh, Soc Son, Thanh Tri, Tu Liem, Gia Lam (Hanoi); Ba Vi, Chuong My, Dan Phuong, Hoai Duc, My Duc, Phu Xuyen, Phuc Tho, Quoc Oai, Thach That, Thanh Oai, Thuong Tin, Ung Hoa (former Ha Tay province) and Me Linh (a former district of Vinh Phuc province)

54 ethnic groups: Viet (Kinh), Hoa, Muong, Tay, Dao, Nung, H’mong, Thai, etc
Hanoi is the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the center of culture, politics, economy and trade of the whole country.

Geography
Hanoi lies in the Red River Delta, in the center of North Vietnam. It is surrounded by Thai Nguyen to the north, Vinh Phuc to the west, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh and Hung Yen provinces to the east and south-east.

Hanoi means "the hinterland between the rivers" (Ha: river, Noi: inner). Hanoi's territory is washed by the Red River (the portion of the Red River embracing Hanoi is approximately 40km long) and its tributaries, but there are some other rivers flowing through the capital, including Duong, Cau, Day, Nhue, Tich, To Lich and Kim Nguu.

Climate: Hanoi is situated in a tropical monsoon zone with two main seasons. During the dry season, which lasts from October to April, it is cold and there is very little rainfall, except from January to March, when the weather is still cold but there is some light rain. The wet season, from May to September, is hot with heavy rains and storms. However, four seasons can still be seen in Hanoi and identified by the temperature and typical features. For example, spring usually lasts from January to Febuary when there’s little rain and trees begin sprouting. Summer bringing dry hot wind is normally from May to August when the temperature reach the highest at about 32oC average. Autumn is the most harmonious season with average temperature at about 25oC, from September - October. Winter lasts from November to January when the humidity goes up and temperature goes down at about 15oC ; the

 The average annual temperature is 23.2⁰C (73.7⁰F) and the average annual rainfall is 1,800mm. The average temperature in winter is 17.2⁰C (62.9⁰F), but can go down to 8⁰C (46.4⁰F). The average temperature in summer is 29.2⁰C (84.6⁰F), but can reach up to 39⁰C (102.2⁰F).

History
Hanoi is a sacred land of Vietnam. Earlier in the 3^rd century BC, Co Loa (current in Dong Anh District) was chosen as the capital of the Au Lac Nation by King An Duong Vuong (the King Thuc). Hanoi later became the core of the resistance movements against the Northern invasions. Located in the middle of the Red River Delta, the town has gradually expanded to become a very populated and rich residential center. At different periods, Hanoi had been selected as the main city of Vietnam under the Northern domination. In the autumn of Canh Tuat lunar years (1010), Ly Thai To, the founder of the Ly Dynasty, decided to transfer the capital from Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh province) to Dai La (former name of Hanoi), and so he renamed it Thang Long (Ascending Dragon). The year 1010 then became an historical date for Hanoi and for the whole country in general. Hoa Lu now became a popular attraction for sightseeing and discovering Vietnamese history. For about a thousand years, the capital was called Thang Long, then changing to Dong Do, Dong Kinh, and finally to Hanoi, in 1831. This sacred piece of land thereafter continued to be the theatre of many fateful events.

Tourism
Throughout the thousand years of its eventful history, destructed and damaged by wars and natural calamities, Hanoi still preserves many ancient architectural buildings and historical sites including the Old Quarter with typical architecture of Vietnamese and French styles, and over 600 pagodas and temples. Famous sites include the One Pillar Pagoda (built in 1049), the Temple of Literature (built in 1070) – the very first university of Vietnam, Hanoi Citadel, Hanoi Opera House – built by French, President Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Tran Quoc Pagoda – the oldest Pagoda in Hanoi, which are the most popular tourist attractions for every Hanoi city tour. Besides, Pefume Pagoda has become the familiar place for tourists who would like to enjoy the countryside and harmony of mountain and river scenery.

Hanoi also contains 18 beautiful lakes such as Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake, and Truc Bach Lake, Bay Mau Lake, etc, which are providing the precious green space for the whole city, with their surrounding gardens and trees providing a vital source of healthy air.
Moreover, many tourists are now interested in visiting Museums and Art Gallery in Hanoi which helps visitors to get know-how of Vietnam glorious history, culture, tradition and lifestyle. Among the most well-known places are History Museum, Museum of Ethnology, Women Museum, Fine Art Museum, Mai Gallery.
Many traditional handicrafts are also practiced within Hanoi including bronze molding, silver carving, lacquer, and embroidery. Hanoi has many famous traditional professional handicraft villages that have been introduced to tourists broadly, such as Bat Trang pottery village, Van Phuc Silk village, Ngu Xa bronze casting village, Yen Thai glossy silk...

Transportation
By road: Hanoi is 93km from Ninh Binh (about 2 hours by car), 102km from Haiphong, 165km from Halong, 474km from Dien Bien Phu, 658km from Hue, 763km from Danang, and 1,710km from Ho Chi Minh City.

By air: Noi Bai International Airport, over 30 km from the city center, is one of the biggest airports of the country beside Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City) and Danang International Airport with various international and domestic routes. There are domestic flights from Hanoi to Danang, Dien Bien, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Nha Trang and international flights departing from Hanoi to numerous countries in over the world.

By train: Hanoi Railway Station is Vietnam's main railway station. It is the starting point of five railway lines leading to almost every province in Vietnam. Especially for Sapa, there’s numerous of trains providing comfortable tourist cabins for overnight train to Lao Cai